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Urban History Group — Annual Conference:
Urban Boundaries and Margins

(University of Nottingham)

27.-28. März 2008

This conference will explore the concept of boundaries and margins in
the context of the city. The theme is interpreted broadly to encompass
not only the identification of various types of boundaries - spatial,
social, cultural, economic and political ­­­- but also the
processes that help create, sustain as well as contest the legitimacy
and practices of such boundaries. This focus draws attention to the
differences as well as the similarities between various groups and
activities in the city, and explores how these could change over time.
Themed sessions will include the following:

• Age and life cycle issues in urban contexts
• »Them and us«; class, race, ethnicity, culture
• Transgressing norms of behaviour
• Shifting concepts of day and night
• Marginal groups and practices
• Spatial and architectural margins in the home and the city
• Administrative and political boundaries
• Public and private space
• The representation of boundaries
• Boundaries of conflict and boundaries of order

The conference committee invites proposals for individual papers as
well as for additional sessions. Abstract of up to 500 words should be
submitted to the conference organiser and should indicate clearly how
the content of the paper addresses the broad conference theme. Those
wishing to propose additional sessions should provide a brief statement
that identifies the ways in which the session will address the
conference theme, a list of speakers and paper abstracts.

The deadline
for expressions of interest for sessions and papers is 30 September
2007.

In addition, the conference will also host a new researchers forum.
This is aimed primarily at those who are at an early stage in a research
project and who wish primarily to discuss ideas rather than present
findings. New and current postgraduates working on topics unrelated to
the main theme, as well as those just embarking on new research, are
particularly encouraged to submit short papers for this forum.

Graduate students can obtain a bursary to offset some of the expenses
associated with attending the conference. Please send an e mail
application to Richard Rodger rgr@le.ac.uk and ask your PhD supervisor
to also send a message confirming your status as a registered PhD
student. The Urban History Group would like to acknowledge the Economic
History Society for its support for these bursaries.

For further details please contact:

Dr David Green (conference organiser)
Email: david.r.green@kcl.ac.uk

Department of Geography
King's College London
Strand
London
WC2R 2LS, UK
Tel: 44 (0) 20 7848 2721/2599
Fax:44 (0) 20 7848 2287